---
title: "Youth Safety"
tags:
  - onboarding
  - safety
  - conduct
  - youth-protection
  - required
type: training-module
track: entry
owner: 2890

growth: tree
---

# Youth Safety

> Read this before you touch anything in the shop. This is not optional.

## Why This Matters

The robotics shop has real tools. Saws, lathes, grinders, welders, batteries that can start fires if you treat them wrong. The work here is exciting and hands-on — and it will hurt you if you don't respect it.

Safety isn't about following rules because someone told you to. It's about not getting hurt. That's it.

I've seen students rush through something because they wanted to get it done, skip a step because it seemed minor, and end up in the emergency room. Not at this team — I've never seen it happen here. But I've seen near-misses that should have been warnings.

The rules in this document exist because someone, somewhere, got hurt doing what you're about to do. Learn from their experience, not your own.

## Workshop Safety — The Non-Negotiables

These are not suggestions. These are how you stay in one piece.

- **Safety glasses on.** Always. Not when you remember, not when it's just a quick cut — always. A particle in your eye will ruin your day permanently.
- **Closed-toe shoes.** No exceptions in the shop. Flip-flops and sandals are for the beach, not the machine shop.
- **No working alone.** Every tool operation needs a second person nearby. If you're using a power tool, someone else should be in the shop with you, watching, not just in the building.
- **Hair tied back.** Loose hair catches in lathes and drill presses. It's an easy fix — ponytail, bun, whatever works.
- **Gloves only when appropriate.** Not on rotating tools. Gloves can catch on a spinning shaft and pull your hand in. Use gloves for welding, for handling rough materials, for moving heavy things — not for anything with a spinning blade or bit.

## Tool-Specific Rules

Every tool in this shop can hurt you if you don't know what you're doing. Here's what you need to know about the ones you'll use most.

### Lathe

A lathe spins your workpiece while you cut into it with a stationary tool. Used for making round parts, cylinders, threads.

**What kills people on lathes:** loose clothing, rings, or watches catching on the spinning stock; holding the workpiece by hand instead of clamping it; reaching across the spinning chuck.

**Rules:**
- No loose clothing, no rings, no watches, no bracelets. Long sleeves must be fitted at the wrist.
- Always clamp your workpiece. Never hold it by hand while the lathe is running.
- Let the tool do the work. Forcing the cutting tool causes chatter, bad parts, and broken tools.
- If something sounds wrong — a chatter sound, a vibration that isn't normal — stop the machine and check before continuing.

### Mill

A mill holds a cutting tool in a spindle and moves it into your workpiece, which is clamped to a table. Used for flat surfaces, slots, holes, and more complex shapes.

**What kills people on mills:** the spinning endmill catching loose material or clothing; improperly clamped workpieces being thrown by the cutting force; touching the cutting tool while it's still spinning.

**Rules:**
- Secure your workpiece to the table with clamps or a vise before you start. Never rely on the friction of the table alone.
- Bring the cutter down to the workpiece slowly. Use the rapid override carefully near the material.
- Let the chip escape. Accumulated chips are hot and can burn. Use a brush or chip hook to clear them, not your fingers.
- After cutting, let the spindle stop completely before adjusting anything or clearing chips.

### Drill Press

A drill press holds a drill bit and pushes it down into a clamped workpiece. More precise than a hand drill.

**What kills people on drill presses:** clothing or hair catching on the drill chuck; holding the workpiece by hand instead of clamping it; using too much pressure and breaking the bit.

**Rules:**
- Clamp your workpiece to the table. Never hold it with your hand.
- Long hair must be tied back. A drill press grabs hair just as easily as a lathe.
- Use the correct speed for the material and bit size. The drill press speed chart is on the wall by the machine.

### Welder (MIG)

Welding joins metal by melting it with an electric arc and fusing it together. We use MIG welding (Metal Inert Gas), which feeds wire through the gun and uses a shielding gas to protect the weld from contamination.

**What kills people with welders:** eye damage from the arc flash; burns from hot metal; fumes from welding galvanized or painted metal; fire from sparks landing on flammable material.

**Rules:**
- Welding helmet on *before* you strike the arc. Off only after the last weld is complete and cooled.
- Wear leather gloves, long sleeves, and a closed collar. Sparks go everywhere.
- Fire extinguisher must be within reach before you start. Know where it is.
- Ventilation matters. Welding produces fumes that will make you sick if you breathe enough of them. If the space doesn't have good airflow, don't weld until it does.
- Inspect your equipment before every use: wire spool, ground clamp, cable condition. Damaged equipment doesn't just fail — it can catch fire.

### Angle Grinder

A grinder spins a disc at high speed for cutting or grinding metal. The disc is fragile and can shatter if damaged or misused.

**What kills people with angle grinders:** a cracked or damaged disc exploding at high RPM; the disc grabbing and kicking the tool; sparks igniting flammable material.

**Rules:**
- Inspect the disc before you turn the grinder on. Look for cracks, chips, anything that doesn't look right. If in doubt, don't use it.
- The guard must be in place. It routes sparks away from you.
- Hold the grinder with two hands. If it kicks, you want control.
- Face the grinder away from your body and away from anyone else in the line of fire.
- Let the disc reach full speed before you touch it to the material. If it sounds wrong, stop and check.

### Band Saw

A band saw has a continuous toothed blade that runs between two wheels. Used for cutting metal stock to length, curved cuts, and more.

**What kills people on band saws:** reaching across the blade while it's running; removing cutoffs before the blade has stopped; using the wrong blade tension or speed for the material.

**Rules:**
- Never reach over the blade. Ever. Even if it's a small piece.
- Let the blade come to a complete stop before adjusting the workpiece, changing the blade guide, or removing the cutoff.
- Remove cutoffs with a push stick or a piece of scrap wood. Not with your fingers. The piece gets hot, and your fingers are in the path of the blade if it slips.

## Electrical Safety

FRC robots run on **12V lead acid batteries** and powerful motors that draw significant current. A fully charged battery can deliver enough current to cause serious burns and start fires if shorted across metal tools.

### Battery Rules

- **Never touch both terminals with metal at the same time.** A wrench or screwdriver across both terminals = instant short = severe burns and possible fire. This is not hypothetical. This has injured FRC students.
- **Check the battery case for cracks or leaks before you use it.** If the case is damaged, do not charge or use it. Take it to a mentor and tell them.
- **Charge in a safe area.** Nothing flammable nearby. The charger can produce heat.
- **Transport upright.** Lead acid batteries can leak acid if tipped. Keep them upright always.
- **Keep terminals covered.** When a battery is not in use, keep the terminal covers on to prevent accidental shorts.

### When the Robot is Powered

- **No working on electrical systems while the robot is powered.** This means disconnect the battery before you touch anything in the electrical bay. Not "be careful" — disconnect.
- If you need to test something with power, tell a mentor and make sure you're using proper technique.
- **If you smell burning — burning plastic, burning metal, anything wrong — disconnect the battery immediately, step back, and tell a mentor.** Do not continue. Do not assume it'll be fine.
- 12V can also charge capacitors that hold charge after the battery is disconnected. If you're working on high-capacitance circuits, discharge them before touching.

## FIRST Youth Protection

FIRST requires all teams to follow Youth Protection guidelines. These are non-negotiable.

### Two-Deep Leadership

No adult is alone with a student. Ever. If a mentor asks you to stay after a meeting one-on-one, if an adult is regularly messaging you on a private channel, if someone you barely know wants to spend time alone with you — that's not normal. Tell Mr. Slater or a mentor you trust. You will be heard. Nothing you report will get you in trouble for reporting it.

### Background Checks

Every adult who works with students on this team has a current background check on file. If you see a new adult in the shop working with students and you don't recognize them, it's okay to ask if they're on the roster. You have a right to know.

### Communication

Students and mentors communicate in shared team channels. Nobody should be in a private DM relationship with a mentor that nobody else can see. If you get a message that feels wrong — even if you can't explain exactly why — tell someone.

### The Rule

> If something feels wrong, it probably is. Say something.

You will never get in trouble for reporting something. You might get in trouble if you knew something was wrong and stayed quiet.

## Online Conduct

Our team communicates through Discord. This is a professional space, not a gaming chat.

**Be respectful.** What you say here represents the team. Don't forget that other teams, sponsors, and members of the public can see what you post in public channels.

**No harassment, slurs, or targeted cruelty.** Zero tolerance. This includes jokes that aren't jokes, comments about someone's identity or background, and anything that makes another team member feel unsafe.

**No sharing personal information** about yourself or others in public channels. Your real name, your address, your phone number, other people's names — keep it in the team space.

**Keep it on topic in each channel.** #build-chat is for building. #programming is for code. General is for things that don't fit elsewhere.

Violations don't get warnings. They get consequences.

## Consequences

| What Happened | What Happens |
|--------------|--------------|
| Minor mistake, nobody hurt | We talk about it. You learn. |
| Repeated minor mistakes | One-on-one. Parents notified. |
| Dangerous behavior | Removed from the shop until a safety review. |
| Intentional harm or harassment | Removed from the team. No debate. |

Mr. Slater makes the call on anything beyond minor. But the point of consequences isn't punishment — it's so everyone goes home in the same condition they arrived.

## When You're Not Sure — Stop and Ask

This is the most important sentence in this document:

> If you don't know how to do something safely, **do not guess**. Ask.

A mentor, a senior student, Mr. Slater — it doesn't matter who. "How do I set up this piece in the mill?" is not a stupid question. "I didn't ask and now my hand is hurt because I assumed I knew what I was doing" is a stupid thing to explain to an urgent care nurse.

You will not be judged for not knowing something. You will be judged for not asking.

## Pre-Shop Checklist

Before you touch any tool in the shop, make sure you can answer yes to all seven of these:

- [ ] Safety glasses on
- [ ] Closed-toe shoes
- [ ] Hair tied back (if applicable)
- [ ] A mentor or senior student is in the shop with you
- [ ] You know where the first aid kit is
- [ ] You know where the fire extinguisher is
- [ ] Someone has shown you how to use this tool — not just told you, shown you

If you're not sure about any of these, ask before you start.

---

**Previous:** [[2890-our-story|Hawk Collective 2890 — Our Story]]

**Next:** Complete the Entry Path — you have finished the required onboarding for Hawk Collective 2890. The garden branches from here.